The present invention is directed to fluid sample containers for placement in a centrifuge rotor and, more particularly, is directed to the concept of a sectorial or sectional shaped plastic liner for placement in a single cylindrical chamber within the centrifuge rotor.
Presently used containers for fluid samples that are to be subjected to centrifugation offer the user a variety of approaches for placement of the samples in the rotor. In the case of a fixed angle centrifuge rotor wherein a plurality of separate cavities are placed radially around the spin axis of the rotor, a plurality of separate centrifuge tubes can be placed in these cavities to carry different or various samples. In some smaller rotors such as the Airfuge.RTM. centrifuge rotor, the cavities for receipt of the centrifuge are very small and, therefore, the volume of the sample to be centrifugated is available only in a very small quantity. In order to provide more volume, a single cavity rotor is available for use, but the liner designed for that centrifuge will accept only a single fluid sample. Therefore, if it is desirable to centrifuge a sample having more volume than found in the small tubes used in the Airfuge centrifuge rotor, it is necessary to make a single centrifuge run for each sample that is placed in the single large liner.
It has normally been considered necessary to provide solid exterior support to any liner placed in the rotor. In other words, the exterior of a sample carrying liner or a centrifuge tube used in the rotor must be supported. Otherwise, the liner or tube may deform and break under the tremendous centrifugal forces generated by the rotor operating at speeds as high as 180,000 rpms. Consequently, the rotor typically has had to be specifically designed to accommodate the particular shaped liner used.